Monroe Gallery of Photography specializes in classic black and white photography with an emphasis on humanist and photojournalist imagery. The gallery features work by more than 60 renowned photographers and also represents a select group of contemporary and emerging photographers.
Visitors to the spacious gallery and our website http://www.monroegallery.com are invited to view some of the best photography the 20th and 21st century have to offer.
— Sidney and Michelle Monroe

Friday, June 28, 2013

Gelatin silver print, 1956 (printed later) King proved to be the ideal choice to orchestrate and sustain the Montgomery bus boycott. As a relative newcomer to Montgomery, he was able to bring together all factions of the black community without regard to past rivalries. Through inspirational addresses delivered at mass meetings in Montgomery’s black churches, King galvanized support for the boycott and clearly articulated the case for nonviolent action, declaring, “We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love; we must meet physical force with soul force.” He found a strong ally in fellow Montgomery minister Ralph Abernathy, and during the course of the boycott the two men forged a strong working relationship and a deep friendship. Continuing for an unprecedented 381 days, the bus boycott ended only after the United States Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional. When the first integrated bus rolled through Montgomery on December 21, 1956, King and Abernathy sat side by side.

Selected Portraits / Curator's Statement
As we mark the fiftieth anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, I believe it is important to remember King not merely as a dreamer but as a doer. In his thirteen years of public life as an advocate for civil rights, economic opportunity, and world peace, King motivated others not only by communicating his vision for a brighter future but by acting boldly to challenge injustice. Despite enormous odds and the ever-present risk of failure, King led by example, exhibiting courage and character as he maintained his steadfast commitment to nonviolent resistance and direct action. Anyone can dream of a better and more just world. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to making that dream a reality.

—Ann M. Shumard, Senior Curator of Photographs

Martin Luther King Marching for Voting Rights with John Lewis, Reverend Jesse Douglas, James Forman and Ralph Abernathy, Selma, 1965

INTERACTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTMON.–FRI. JULY 8–19 10 AM–4 PMEXHIBITIONMON.–FRI. JULY 15–19, 10 AM–NOON & 1–4 PMPHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT SESSIONS
The Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange (CIPX) is a photographic inquiry and exchange of artist Will Wilson (Diné) and his subjects as he creates studio portraits that engage participants in dialogue and a portrait session using the wet-plate collodion process. Wilson re-creates and re-enacts this performative ritual, which is intensified and refined by his use of a large-format (8 by 10 in.) camera to create a tintype for the sitter. This beautifully alchemic photographic process dramatically contributed to the collective understanding of Native American people and, in so doing, the American identity, demonstrating how an understanding of our world can be acquired through fabricated methods. Museum visitors can register to be photographed. Each portrait takes approximately 30 minutes. An exhibition of digitally printed portraits from the CIPX series will be on view at the Education Annex July 8—19. LOCATION: O’Keeffe Education Annex, 123 Grant Avenue.COST: FREE

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The incredible story of a mysterious nanny who died in 2009 leaving behind a
secret hoard - thousands of stunning photographs. Never seen in her lifetime,
they were found by chance in a Chicago storage locker and auctioned off cheaply.

Now Vivian Maier has gone viral and her magical pictures sell for thousands
of dollars. Vivian was a tough street photographer, a secret poet of suburbia.
In life she was a recluse, a hoarder, spinning tall tales about her French
roots. Presented by Alan Yentob, the film includes stories from those who knew
her and those who revealed her astonishing work.

Eric Draper of Rio Rancho, who was the official White House Photographer for President G.W. Bush, is on our show next Thursday, June 27th, at 9 AM (Moutain Time). He will be discussing his new book, Front Row Seat. (Link to listen live here)

The book’s publication this spring coincided with the opening of the new George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, on May 1.

America’s 43rd president George W. Bush presided over eight of the most dramatic years in recent history, from the 9/11 attacks early in his administration to the worldwide economic crisis of 2008. By his side, recording every event, was his personal White House photographer, Eric Draper. From a collection of nearly 1 million photographs, Draper has selected more than 100 images of Bush that portray both the public figure and the private man.

Through Draper’s lens, we follow the president through moments of crisis that called for strong leadership, such as 9/11; emotional meetings with troops in war zones, wounded soldiers at home and Katrina survivors; and happy, relaxed times.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The US President, John F Kennedy, made a ground-breaking speech in Berlin offering American solidarity to the citizens of West Germany.

A crowd of 120,000 Berliners gathered in front of the Schöneberg Rathaus (City Hall) to hear President Kennedy speak.

They began gathering in the square long before he was due to arrive, and when he finally appeared on the podium they gave him an ovation of several minutes.

The president had just returned from a visit on foot to one of the Berlin Wall's most notorious crossing points, Checkpoint Charlie.

He was watched from the other side of the border by small groups of East Berliners unable even to wave because of the presence of large groups of the East German People's Police.

In an impassioned speech, the president told them West Berlin was a symbol of freedom in a world threatened by the Cold War.

"Two thousand years ago," he told the crowd, "the proudest boast in the world was 'civis Romanus sum'.

"Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'"

"Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect," he continued. "But we never had to put up a wall to keep our people in."

His speech was punctuated throughout by rapturous cheers of approval.

He ended on the theme he had begun with:

"All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'"

After the speech, the mayor of West Berlin, Willi Brandt, spoke out for the citizens of East Germany, saying they would be brought out in a few days to greet the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, whether they wanted to or not.

"But they would much rather be with us, freely gathered here," he said.

"We tell them, we will not give up. Berlin is true to those behind barbed wire as to fellow countrymen in the West and friends in the whole world."

His words were followed by the tolling of the Freedom Bell from the belfry of the Rathaus in remembrance of those in East Germany.

Art and the law subject of talks
A series of panel discussions on art and the law will be presented through the summer at the Santa Fe Community Gallery, 201 W. Marcy St., located in the convention center.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Police officers tackle and detain a National Post photographer while he was photographing protesters demonstrating against the G8/G20 summits June 26, 2010 in Toronto, Canada. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesVia o.canada.com

PEN Canada responds to a series of arrests and other police actions aimed at deterring photography in public spaces

The June 2, 2013 arrest of Toronto Star photographer Alex Consiglio for trespassing in a Toronto railway station is the latest in a series of events that has PEN Canada’s National Affairs Committee concerned about the interpretation of certain Charter rights pertaining to public photography and filming.

In particular, we wish to state that it is not a criminal offence for individuals to photograph or film police officers as they go about their duties, and that police officers are not allowed to confiscate a person’s camera or recording equipment (including phones), force them to delete images, or otherwise prevent them from taking photographs or filming in public places. We also wish to clarify the law when it comes to taking pictures or filming on private property that is open to the public.

We are especially concerned about the way recent trends in enforcement of non-existent prohibitions on photography and filming are affecting members of the press.

This document is not intended to be an exhaustive examination of all laws as they pertain to photography and filming. The issue is complicated and depends to some extent on laws that vary from province to province and municipality to municipality.

Subject to certain very limited constraints, it is not a crime in Canada for anyone to do any of the following things, and it is a violation of their Charter rights to prevent anyone from doing so:

photographing or filming in any public place, or in any private place to which the public is admitted, and publishing those pictures and films,

taking pictures of or filming in any government site other than “restricted access areas”*

photographing or filming police officers in public, as long as the photographer/filmmaker does not obstruct or interfere with the execution of police duties. While everyone has a reasonable expectation of privacy in certain circumstances, police officers have no reasonable expectation of privacy as they go about their duties.

A police officer does not have the right to confiscate cameras or recording equipment (including phones), unless the person in possession of such equipment is under arrest and such equipment is necessarily relevant to the alleged offence. A police officer cannot force anyone to show, unlock or decrypt cameras or recording equipment, or to delete images, even when that person is under arrest, unless the police officer has a warrant or a court order permitting him to do so.

At no time, and under no circumstances, is anyone in Canada subject to arrest for the simple act of taking a photograph or filming, although he or she can be arrested if he or she is breaking another law in the process, such as, for example, trespassing or breaking or entering.

Other laws and legislation, including the Criminal Code, the Copyright Act, the Security of Information Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), must be obeyed while taking or publishing pictures.

Statement

PEN Canada affirms that the rights of people to make photographs and films in public places and in private places open to the public, and publish them, are hallmarks of a transparent democracy, and that arbitrary restrictions upon photography and filming or on the publication of photographs and films is a characteristic common to repressive governments.

The rights of people to make and publish photographs and films in public places, and in private places open to the public, are hallmarks of a transparent democracy.

Not only do all people in Canada have the right to make images and publish them, but in the age of ubiquitous photography, amateur photographs and films are proving to be an important tool in fighting crime – including crime committed under colour of authority.

We also affirm the value of photography and film in securing law enforcement officers from false accusations.

This application has already been widely recognized by law enforcement departments across the country, and it’s partly for this reason that video dashcams are now standard issue in law enforcement vehicles.

History

In the past several years, many cases have come to light in which police officers sought to confiscate cameras and delete images, even though (a) they have no legal authority to do so and (b) this may actually constitute a crime in itself. The following incidents point out the need for all citizens to be informed of their rights, and for all law enforcement officers to be aware of those rights.

The most glaring example is the case of Robert Dziekanski, a Polish man who died after being tasered by RCMP officers at the Vancouver airport in 2007. Dziekanski’s tasering and subsequent collapse was filmed by Paul Pritchard, who surrendered the video to police with the understanding that they would return it to him in 48 hours. When they did not do so, Pritchard initiated a lawsuit against them. The video was ultimately returned. Partly as a result of its existence, the RCMP eventually admitted that they had misled the public in several statements about the Dziekanski incident. They issued an official apology for their actions and agreed to a financial settlement with Dziekanski’s mother. All four officers involved were formally accused of having lied in notes and statements about what happened that day.

At no time, and under no circumstances, is anyone in Canada subject to arrest for the simple act of taking a photograph or filming

Without the existence of the Pritchard video, it is certain that the outcome of the investigation would have been different.

Last year, lawyer Karen Selick published an opinion piece in the National Post concerning an incident at the home of one of her clients. During the incident, police confiscated numerous cell phones, deleted images, and made threats of arrest to various people for photographing police activity. Selick contends that the behavior of the police was not only out of bounds but was also criminal.

Most recently, on June 2, 2013, Alex Consiglio, a Toronto Star photographer, was arrested at Toronto’s Union Station, put into a headlock by a police officer, and ticketed for trespassing. This came after Consiglio had been asked at least twice to stop taking pictures, including pictures of police officers, and to leave the premises.

Consiglio’s case is significant because photography on private property that is open to the public is not an offence and is not civilly actionable unless posted signs specifically prohibit it, or photographers are informed by security guards, owners, or other personnel that they may not take photographs. The owner of Union Station, the City of Toronto, apparently stipulates that members of the public are free to take photographs at any time, but members of the press must first sign a liability waiver. In the opinion of PEN Canada, this requirement for a waiver creates a stifling effect upon the ability of members of the press to do their work effectively, and the requirement should be rescinded by the owner of Union Station.

In the past three years there have been four other incidents that PEN believes are worthy of examination:

National Post photographers Brett Gundlock and Colin O’Connor were arrested during the G20 protests that took place in Toronto in 2010. These protests were notable for the police tactics used in crowd control and dispersal, including mass arrests, the apparently random arrests of innocent onlookers and passers-by, and the controversial and now-discontinued practice of kettling. Gundlock and O’Connor were attacked by police while attempting to photograph aggressive crowd dispersal tactics.They were arrested and held in a temporary detention center for 24 hours, where they were strip-searched, denied water for 12 hours, fed almost nothing, and experienced the loss of some of their camera equipment. They were never accused of any crime. Instead, they were simply accused of being “amongst violent people”. Their camera equipment and press ID should have exempted them from any police attention whatsoever, and as soon as it became clear that they were members of the press, they should have been free to go about their business.

On March 26, 2013, a Montreal student named Jennifer Pawluck, 20, an active protester with no criminal record, discovered some graffiti depicting police spokesman Ian Lafrenière with a bullet hole in his head. She took a picture of the image and posted it on Instagram. On April 3, Pawluck was visited at her home by police officers and arrested without incident.She was charged with uttering threats against Lafrenière. In the warrant, it was stated that she gave Lafrenière cause to fear for his safety, and one of the conditions of Pawluck’s release was that she must not come within one kilometre of police headquarters or Lafrenière’s home. It is notable that Pawluck was never accused of having created the original image, only of taking a picture and distributing it. PEN Canada considers this to be a particularly egregious violation of the Charter right to self-expression.

In September of 2012, 16-year-old Jakub Markiewicz was detained by security guards and arrested by police after filming the violent takedown of a man by security guards at Metrotown shopping mall in Burnaby, B.C. Markiewicz was ordered by the guards to delete his footage, but since he was using a film camera, he could not comply. Although the guards were in their right to order Markiewicz to stop filming, they were not legally authorized to order him to delete the image or to destroy the film. After Markiewicz took a second picture of arriving RCMP officers, he was physically attacked and restrained by security guards. At their request he was then handcuffed by police and taken to an RCMP cruiser, where security guards again demanded he delete the photos. RCMP officers cut Markiewicz’s backpack off with a utility knife in order to search it, and Markiewicz was ultimately arrested for causing a disturbance. He was never officially charged.

A Niagara police officer is facing criminal charges of assaulting a photographer outside a bar in May of 2012. Constable Paul Zarafonitis allegedly assaulted Michael Farkas after Farkas refused to stop photographing police during an incident at the Kool Kats Caribbean Restaurant in Niagara Falls. Farkas suffered a broken nose, a fractured orbital socket, and a fractured cheekbone.

In The United States

While American federal and state law differ from Canadian law in many important respects, two incidents have taken place there that we believe are worth mentioning in this context.

After the terrorist bombings in Boston last April, citizen photography played a significant role in establishing the identity of the bombers

On May 14, 2012, the United States Department of Justice wrote a letter to the Baltimore Police Department asserting that the right of people to photograph and film police officers is protected by the First, Fourth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution. The DOJ also stated that the ability to photograph and film police officers does much to enhance the appearance of transparency of law enforcement organizations and is therefore a way of building public trust and goodwill. PEN Canada believes that the DOJ is entirely right in this assertion, and we wish to uphold and adopt it as our own.

After the terrorist bombings in Boston last April, as noted in this Washington Post article, citizen photography played a hugely important role in establishing the identity of the bombers. Investigators received hundreds of still and moving images from cell phones and handheld cameras that allowed them to piece together a timeline and ultimately to find images of the suspects, resulting in the death of one and the capture of another.

Often police officers seem willing to use violence to stop photographers, as if photography itself were a form of assault instead of a right.

We believe these instances offer additional evidence that public photography should ultimately make for a more transparent, open, and free society, provided standards of privacy and decency are adhered to. It also fosters a more law-abiding culture.

Analysis and Recommendations

The incidents mentioned above show that police officers are sometimes prepared to deprive people of the rights set out above in this memo. Neither photography nor filming in and of itself constitutes obstruction. Often police officers seem willing to use violence to stop photographers, as if photography itself were a form of assault instead of a right.

This state of affairs must not be allowed to continue in Canada. PEN Canada calls upon law enforcement officials to recognize that photographing and filming in public places is in the public interest, and to ensure that their personnel are familiar with the laws concerning public photography/filming and photography/filming of police officers. We encourage people to continue to exercise their right to take photographs and make films in public, to photograph or film actions committed by law enforcement that may be worthy of concern, and to publish these images public, secure in the knowledge that they are within their rights to do so.

* Examples as currently defined by the government of Canada include Operations Zones – areas where access is limited to personnel who work there and to properly-escorted visitors, which must be indicated by a recognizable perimeter and monitored periodically; Security Zones – areas to which access is limited to authorized personnel and to authorized and properly-escorted visitors, which must be indicated by a recognizable perimeter and monitored continuously; and High Security Zones – areas to access is limited to authorized, appropriately-screened personnel and authorized and properly-escorted visitors, which must be indicated by a perimeter, monitored continuously, and to which details of access are recorded and audited.

PEN Canada is a nonpartisan organization of writers that works with others to defend freedom of expression as a basic human right, at home and abroad. PEN Canada promotes literature, fights censorship, helps free persecuted writers from prison, and assists writers living in exile in Canada. Republished with permission.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Every year PDN recognizes the best in photography and this time Stephen Wilkes comes out as one of the big winners, picking up an award in three categories: Advertising, Personal, and Photojournalism. A team of judges representing publications like The Huffington Post, The New York Times and Fast Company went through thousands of entries to select the brightest for the 2013 Photo Annual.
Stephen Wilkes’ “Day to Night” photo series was honored in both the Advertising and Personal categories. Both images capture the city and seaside beauty of the mega metropolis Shanghai from the morning to the late evening hours. Stephen’s devastatingly revealing aerial photographs of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy not only appeared in TIME Magazine, but also won recognition in PDN’s Photojournalism/Sports/Documentary category.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Retired Associated Press photo executive Hal Buell speaks to a crowd at the Eddie Adams Day dinner on Saturday, June 8, 2013, at the Clarion Hotel in New Kensington. Buell worked with Adams when Adams took his famous photo of an execution in the streets of Saigon in 1968. Here, he discusses another well-known photo from Vietnam of a napalmed girl running by photographer Nick Ut.

The club hosted festivities for its second annual “Eddie Adams Day” Saturday, beginning with a program and display of his photos at the Alle-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum in Tarentum and concluding with a dinner at the Clarion Hotel in New Kensington.

Inspired by Adams' “signature picture,” Buell spoke of “Pictures People Hate,” images that make people angry with the newspapers that publish them. He had the audience play the role of editor, deciding whether they would print images considered controversial.

Buell, 82, of Queens, New York City, retired from the AP in 1997. He said Adams did not like the photo for which he is best known.

“Eddie was an incredible photographer and a remarkable human being. His obsession in life was to make great pictures. He just wanted to be the world's best photographer,” Buell said. “He didn't like pictures that hurt people.”

The reaction to the photo was bad, Buell said, not because it was graphic, but because it showed what “bums” America's allies were in Vietnam, and brought into question how the nation got involved with a country that would carry out an execution on a street.

But Adams felt his own image portrayed the executioner, police chief Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, badly. Earlier that day, Loan's aide and the aide's family had been assassinated by the Viet Cong, Buell said.

“For many years he wouldn't talk about the picture,” Buell said of Adams. “He felt the picture did not tell the whole story.”

Seeing no reason Adams shouldn't be honored with a historical marker, Henderson said only time has delayed it — a requirement for a person to be so recognized is that they be deceased at least 10 years.

Adams died Sept. 19, 2004, making him eligible beginning next year.

Proceeds from the Saturday events will go toward pursuit of the marker. Henderson said the club will apply for it in December. If approved, he hopes for a dedication ceremony including a street festival this time next year, which falls near Adams' birthday on June 12.

Because Adams had been a Marine, Henderson said it would be fitting for the marker to be located at the New Kensington war memorial on Ninth Street, across from Peoples Library.

Henderson said the club also hopes to have “Eddie Adams Day” made an official observance in New Kensington.

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4701 or brittmeyer@tribweb.com.

On display

Twenty-one photographs by New Kensington native and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams are on display this month at the Alle-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum, 224 E. Seventh Ave. in Tarentum.

A $5 donation is suggested for those who are not members of the historical society.

The photos can be viewed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 12, 15, 19, 22 and by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call 724-224-7666.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

By Dinah Douglas, assistant Web writer
WASHINGTON — On June 5, 2013, the Newseum hosted the panel discussion "The Legacy of Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers." Evers was a civil rights icon who in 1954 became the first NAACP field secretary in Mississippi. Evers spearheaded demonstrations and boycotts of businesses that practiced racial discrimination and organized voter registrations for African Americans. He was assassinated in the driveway of his home 50 years ago on June 12, 1963.

Evers's widow, Myrlie Evers, headed a panel that included former NAACP chairman Julian Bond and Jerry Mitchell, a reporter for The Clarion-Ledger, whose work helped convict the man who assassinated Evers. Gwen Ifill, senior correspondent for "PBS NewsHour," moderated the discussion.
The event was one in a series related to a new exhibit at the Newseum titled "Make Some Noise: Students and the Civil Rights Movement," which will open Aug. 2, 2013. The exhibit coincides with the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and will explore the new generation of student leaders in the early 1960s who fought systematic discrimination by exercising their First Amendment rights.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

A Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Changan Avenue in Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989. The man, calling for an end to the recent violence and bloodshed against pro-democracy demonstrators, was pulled away by bystanders, and the tanks continued on their way.